God Complex
by Yarochisai
Summary: “People imagine, and people believe, and it is that belief, that rock-solid belief, that makes things happen.” --Chapter 18, American Gods. Light comedy. Complete?


Title: God Complex  
Summary: "People imagine, and people believe, and it is that belief, that rock-solid belief, that makes things happen." --Chapter 18, American Gods

-

_**Gods are great... But the heart is greater. For it is from our hearts they come, and to our hearts they shall return...**_

-

They are the byproducts of those who believed in justice, in law, in vigilantes. One entity molded into two by the belief of their followers, they've become the opposite sides of the same coin, the personifications of two unstoppable forces that much enjoyed trampling over one another in the pursuit of evil.

It's actually rather awe-inspiring, watching the two clash against one another like glaciers, crashing together in an epic battle that would never end, and not a soul present to witness this unending battle. The power they display is rather impressive, as they are gods of the new generation—on the other hand, they are new forms of an old belief called Justice with more believers than many gods have ever had in their existence.

Shadow watches L and Kira fight for their justice with the strength of titans, but he begins to lose interest after the third dozen rounds of this endless battle. He had intended to inform them of their new status in the world if they hadn't realized it already, but he was done waiting for them.

-

_**There's never been a true war that wasn't fought between two sets of people who were certain they were in the right. The really dangerous people believe they are doing whatever they are doing solely and only because it is without question the right thing to do. And that is what makes them dangerous. **_

-

Kira and L's eyes meet for a brief moment, and they both see sudden flashes, thoughts, and memories of the past; they see a little black book, a game of tennis, and a slice of cake, and they wonder what it meant to them. But as important as it might have been in a past life, because the only thing they can see is the enemy that stands in the way of their Justice.

-

**CRIME ON THE RISE!  
****Kira's disappearance incites increasing crime rates**

-

"_Light-kun."_

L daintily pulled up one of Kira's thumbs, which had been pressing uncomfortably into his throat, and lifted his head to utter this strange word. A name? Kira stares at L for a moment, the first words they've spoken to one another since they first began fighting this endless battle.

"_What?"_ he says back.

"_Light-kun,"_ L says to Kira. "_That is your name?"_

Light-kun... something about the way L says that name sounds right, the way it slid and jumped off the tip of the Adversary's tongue. It brings back a feeling completely alien to Kira, though any feeling at all would have been considered 'alien', as he wasn't used to feeling anything at all but the righteous anger he felt towards L, who existed simply to oppose his and the world's need for justice.

L takes advantage of Kira's moment of contemplation, his foot swiftly sweeping Kira's out from under him, and they continue to fight each another, though they bludgeon each other with slightly less animosity than before.

At the end of the day, L is the last one standing, turning his back on Kira as he walks away, feeling satisfied with the score of 135 to 123 that was in his favor.

-

**MATT MURDOCK PUTS AWAY TWELVE NEW YORK CRIMINALS IN SINGLE OVERWHELMING CASE**

-

"_Ryuuzaki,"_ Kira says suddenly with a look of pride and almost childish glee.

"_That is my name, is it not?"_

His words, his blank expression, and his deadpan tone belies the strange, out of place comfort he feels as Kira calls him by that name. That hidden, warm feeling doesn't last long, however, as Kira's hand, though momentarily lifted by L's arm, snaked out like lightning, lashing out and striking L in the face.

-

**TAKATORI REIJI ASSASSINATED  
****Suspects known only as Weiss flee the scene**

-

"_Why are we fighting?"_ L asks Kira one day.

Kira shrugs before pumping him full of .44 lead.

-

**HOW FAR IS TOO FAR?  
****Radical Terrorist Group known as Akumetsu murders 28 corrupt politicians on live broadcast**

-

Kira and L laid on their backs, ignoring the mud that was beginning to stain their cloths and both too worn out to move a muscle.

"_Tie?"_ L tried.

"_Tie,"_ Kira wheezed in agreement.

-

**EAST GERMAN FOREIGN TRADE ADVISOR LIEBERT AND WIFE KILLED  
****Couple's daughter Anna unharmed. Bullet successfully removed from twin brother Johan's head.**

-

Kira and L stare at each other, neither in the mood to strain their still-aching muscles and barely in the mood to even stand up.

"_Something new?"_ Kira suggests hesitantly.

Within twenty minutes, they are sitting in the front seats of a tennis match, which later ends in a victory for Jelena Janković. At the end of the game, Kira hands him a wad of cash with a cross expression adorning his face.

"_Victory for meeee..."_ L sang, counting the money in front of Kira, who then smiles sincerely before kicking L down the stairs and admits that it was, indeed, L's win.

-

**DR. TENMA PROVEN ENTIRELY INNOCENT  
****Authorities issue a formal apology to Dr. Tenma**

-

L and Kira stare at the Go board, a frown decorating both their faces in light of Kira's victory by 3.5 points.

The first point went to a serial murderer, who dies of good old cardiac arrest.

The second point goes to a child molester who falls down the stairs and breaks his neck.

The third point goes to a politician who drinks himself into a car crash and dies almost instantly.

"_Perhaps,"_ L begins as they contemplate the half-point, _"we should have better thought this through."_

-

**HOLY HAPPENSTANCE! LEFT HALF OF HANDSOME HARVEY DENT'S FACE LEFT DISFIGURED!**

-

After his eighteenth consecutive loss, Kira demands to know L's secret.

"_You have a look,"_ L says simply.

"_A _look_,"_ Kira repeats incredulously. Impossible. There is nothing in his expression that could give away his movements.

"_You are simply unsuited for this game,"_ L says simply, patting his hand encouragingly. Kira glares. _"We'll find something you're good at eventually."_

Kira moodily stuffs his fists in his pockets and refuses to play Rock-Paper-Scissors with L ever again.

-

**ABSURD REFORM OF OYABUN OMUGI MATSUKICHI?!  
****Former yakuza crimelord settles down in favor of establishing Maya's Cakehouse!**

-

After a brief and half-hearted arm-wrestling contest that ended with Kira's victory, the two of them sit at the coffee shop. Having lost that particular contest, L pays for lunch. Kira takes a cup of coffee and L has four brownies, eight slices of marble cake, and a blueberry muffin for himself.

"_How long will you and I keep doing this?"_ Kira wonders.

"_As long as the other is around,"_ L says without missing a beat because he knows he is right.

"_And how long do you think other will be around?"_

There is a brief moment of silence as they contemplate their existence, gods created by the rock-solid human belief.

"_As long as Justice exists, we exist, because we are Justice,"_ L answers, and they both smile to themselves, knowing full well that—regardless of its shape or form—justice was forever.

-

**KIRA REBORN?!  
Kira performing euthanasia on the elderly...?**

**-**

_...tbc?_

_One-shot may become two._

**My Thinking Corner**  
No doubt, many of you won't get the at least one of the references in this story, so here I am explaining them. This is blatant advertisement for other manga and things to read.

In the novel, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, you get all kinds of mythology and folklores all twisted and mixed into a single story. Since America is made of almost entirely of immigrants, all of whom had their individual religious beliefs, there were gods 'imported' from their homeland, and then you get American manifestations of the Old Gods of ancient mythology, whose powers wane as their believers decrease in number. On the other hand, you have the New American Gods, manifestations of modern life and technology (i.e. the internet, media, and modern transportation).

...In this story, you have Kira and L, who are both manifestations of the same concept. The 'transformation' began in that very first, widely publicized standoff between L and Kira when Light killed Lind L. Taylor, thus publicly announcing his presence and making his existence known to the entire world. This belief that Kira was some sort of god created the foundation on which this version of L and Kira were born. I mean, what better way to gather believers than prove you can actually make miracles and kill people using esoteric magical powers?

So what happened was that Kira and L were seen by the world as two forces of justice, and since people believed that was what they were (rather than what they really were: Kira being an extremist/terrorist with pure ideals that were eventually polluted by his own power, and L being a self-interested recluse more interested in solving puzzles than righting wrongs) they instead became part of what the public believed them to be: prodigies with strong morals that would inevitably clash with one another.

And because people thought L and Kira would never get along, being 'opposites', the two manifested in what started off as an endless war against one another. They never stopped to wonder why they fought because that's what everyone thought they ought to do. However, as time passed, L and Kira were no longer as hot a topic they once were. People discussed them less in day-to-day conversation (though they're still quite legendary and will be for ages to come), thus giving them some leeway to revert to their previous personalities and some more human consciousness.

And so, as time continues to pass, they become more 'normal', as well as more like their previous selves, not quite driven by what the people of the world believed them to be, but by who they once were. L became more interested in the games itself, and Kira more patient upon realizing that, even if he loses now, there will always be more opportunities in the future.

One thing to make note of is the fact that, since very few people in the world even know what the Death Note is, Kira's power is not derived upon any sort of notebook, but rather thought itself. Also, the outcome of L and Kira's 'games' affects the real world.

And, eventually, L and Kira are no longer in direct opposition to one another as some sort of cliched yin yang thing, and eventually become are more like two parts of a greater process in which L pursues unjust and Kira punishes them and their 'battles' determine which part of the process is prevails the most.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SPOILERS AND EXPLANATION OF THE **BOLD**

**- 1 - Gods are great... But the heart is greater. For it is from our hearts they come, and to our hearts they shall return...  
**_- 1 - This is a quote from American Gods, just like with the quote in the summary. The character named Shadow, mentioned in the following paragraphs, is also a character from American Gods. I'd share the irony of his name, but that might count as a spoiler. I'd totally recommend __American Gods__ to you guys but I gotta warn you beforehand: there are some erotic scenes. And some sorta-erotic scenes. Uh... yeah, the "most erotic" (according to wikipedia), I found to be a huge turn-off. Let's just say someone got eaten by something that shouldn't be eating._

**- 2 - CRIME ON THE RISE!  
Kira's disappearance incites increasing crime rates  
**_- 2 - The first of many fake news articles, I think the reason for this one is rather obvious. Kira's no longer actively killing people via heart attacks, even though he has become an incarnation of justice. Because of his less-obvious presence, people have taken his supposed absence for granted and have resumed their dastardly, criminal ways._

**- 3 - MATT MURDOCK PUTS AWAY TWELVE NEW YORK CRIMINALS IN SINGLE OVERWHELMING CASE  
**_- 3 - You might know this guy better as the Daredevil from the Marvel Comics. ...He's a lawyer in this case._

**- 4 - TAKATORI REIJI ASSASSINATED  
Suspects known only as Weiss flee the scene  
**_- 4 - God knows why, but __Weiss Kreuz__ was a pretty popular anime series back in the day. Bishonen assassins working in a flower shop named House of Kittens and killing evil people under the codenames based off of cats like Persia and Balinese. I do like, however, the fact that their archrivals totally own them. And in retrospect... their crazy telepath reminds me of the one in this current story that I'm writing in that both characters are telepathic and kinda evil and ming is kinda crazy. ...Speaking of batshit crazy, the archrivals in __Weiss Kreuz__ are totally bad ass except for Farfarello, who's batshit crazy and goes aiyaiyaiyaiyaiyaiyai like Xena the Warrior Princess. Totally not cool, Farfarello..._

**- 5 - HOW FAR IS TOO FAR?  
Radical Terrorist Group known as Akumetsu murders 28 corrupt politicians on live broadcast  
**_- 5 - __Akumetsu__ is about this character who kills people who are screwing with the economy, putting Japan in, like, a seven trillion dollar debt. ...Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Anyway, before you go reading this and saying, "OMG THEY COPIED DEATH NOTE!" (because the whole 'kill evil' thing is prevalent in both series), know that __Akumetsu__ was published a YEAR before Death Note._

**- 6 - EAST GERMAN FOREIGN TRADE ADVISOR LIEBERT AND WIFE KILLED  
Couple's daughter Anna unharmed. Bullet successfully removed from twin brother Johan's head.  
**_- 6 - This article is based on the manga (and anime) __Monster__. You take a look at this and you think that Kira and L's tie/loss might be the fact that the Liebert and his wife's murderer got away, but the real loss lies in the fact that Johan lives to see another day. Oh, he was just a baby here, but he was already evil and murderous at... what, eight years old? He's like... Hitler 2.0. Like... Hitler plus the Joker from the recent Dark Knight, and give him a pretty bishonen face. THAT is Johan. He's like the freaking __Antichrist. ...Actually, he _is_ the Antichrist. Well, they keep making references to him from the Bible anyway. ...Or at least in the very first volume._

**- 7 - DR. TENMA PROVEN ENTIRELY INNOCENT  
Authorities issue a formal apology to Dr. Tenma  
**_- 7 - Another __Monster__ reference. Dr. Tenma is the main character in __Monster__. In fact, he's the reason so many people died—because he was the doctor who surgically removed the bullet from Johan's forehead. Of course, he did spend a year or several on the run from the police after Johan (deliberately?) ended up framing him for a few murders here and there... and then Tenma turned from "whiny doctor" to a "badass doctor on the run who breaks down and cries every once in a while with darn good aim but still can't shoot for his life"....Okay, not really but sorta. But anyway, at the end of the series, everyone's like, "omg, he was innocent" and, of course, the police has to apologize and all..._

**- 8 - HOLY HAPPENSTANCE! LEFT HALF OF HANDSOME HARVEY DENT'S FACE LEFT DISFIGURED!  
**_- 8 - Some of you probably won't get the "holy" reference, but in the really old __Batman__ flicks, Robin will go "Holy this" and "Holy that!" (for example... "Holy Hamlet/flight plan/alter ego/rat trap/fireworks/masked potatoes"... these are real quotes, according to a website; 365 Holy's and counting) As for Harvey Dent... well, if you haven't seen the newest __Batman__ movie (I still can't believe it... at LEAST 2 people in my class, including my teacher haven't seen it), then you might not know who Harvey Dent is. Might know him better as Two-Face. In the movie, half his face is blown off in a fire. So that's how L and Kira dealt with that half point. ...And please don't ask WHY. I just had to have a Batman reference in here somewhere..._

**- 9 - ABSURD REFORM OF OYABUN OMUGI MATSUKICHI?!  
Former yakuza crimelord settles down in favor of establishing Maya's Cakehouse!  
**_- 9 - Seriously, this is a real... a real fake article? ...Okay, it's a real reference to another manga called __Chocolat__, a romantic comedy about this ex-yakuza who is released from jail, only to find that his Oyabun has dismissed his yakuza and gone into the pastry business._

**- 10 - KIRA REBORN?!  
Kira performing euthanasia on the elderly...?  
**_- 10 - This is a reference to the one-shot chapter of Death Note released after the finale. Another human gets a hold of the Death Note and, well... kills the elderly. When Near hears about it, he's all 'What would L do...?' and in the end, he goes on TV and basically says 'Screw you Cheap-Kira. I'm gonna let the Japanese police catch you because you're nothing compared to the real thing.'_

And finally...

Disclaimer: I own none of the above series mentioned. None of them. At all.


End file.
